The New Orleans Pelicans think that pairing Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins can help them make a major impact in the Western Conference and that it could do so quickly.
Since 2012-13
With Davis and Cousins, the Pelicans now have two of the three players averaging 25 points and 10 rebounds per game this season (the other is Russell Westbrook). Cousins ranks fourth in the NBA in scoring. Davis ranks fifth. Cousins ranks 11th in rebounds per game. Davis ranks sixth.
They are the only players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in each of the past four seasons. Nobody else has done it more than twice.
Despite Davis’ presence, the Pelicans had the second-worst rebounding differential in the NBA (-4.6). The only team that is worse is the Mavericks (-6.1).
The Pelicans are taking on Cousins’ penchant for being overly emotional on the court. Since Cousins debuted in 2010-11, he leads the NBA in technical fouls (105, 29 more than Westbrook), times fouling out (46, 24 more than Amir Johnson) and ejections (12, three more than Matt Barnes).
The Sacramento Kings tried to make Cousins their centerpiece but could not win with him. In his seven seasons in the league, the Kings have a .353 winning percentage, no winning seasons and no playoff appearances. Their 10-season playoff drought is the second longest in the NBA (Timberwolves, 12). They were a better team with him on the court than off it this season — outscored by 2.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the court and 7.2 points per 100 possessions when he was on the bench.
It is highly unusual for a player of Cousins’ scoring exploits to be traded at this point in the season. Cousins is averaging 27.8 points, the third-highest mark for a player at the time of a trade, minimum five games into the season. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that the only players who averaged more were Wilt Chamberlain in 1964-65 (38.9 points at the time of his trade from the Warriors to the 76ers) and Allen Iverson in 2006-07 (31.2 when he was traded from the 76ers to the Nuggets).
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